(19)
(11) EP 0 657 373 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
13.03.1996 Bulletin 1996/11

(43) Date of publication A2:
14.06.1995 Bulletin 1995/24

(21) Application number: 94119351.8

(22) Date of filing: 07.12.1994
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)6: B65G 47/91
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE NL

(30) Priority: 08.12.1993 JP 307894/93

(71) Applicant: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
Kanagawa-ken (JP)

(72) Inventor:
  • Tanaka, Hirohisa, c/o Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Minamiashigara-shi, Kanagawa-ken (JP)

(74) Representative: Grünecker, Kinkeldey, Stockmair & Schwanhäusser Anwaltssozietät 
Maximilianstrasse 58
80538 München
80538 München (DE)


(56) References cited: : 
   
       


    (54) Vacuum chuck apparatus


    (57) In a vacuum chuck apparatus for chucking an article, a plurality of movable suction cups (12,13) are mounted on a support member (1) to be movable up and down relative to the support member between an operative position where each of the movable suction cups can attract the article by suction and a retracted position above the operative position. A plurality of air cylinders (21,22) move the respective suction cups independently from each other between the operative position and the retracted position. An article size designating circuit (80) outputs a size signal representing the size of the article to be chucked, and a controller (70) controls the air cylinders according to the size signal so that a part of the movable suction cups which are not necessary for chucking the article of the size represented by the size signal are held in the retracted position and the other suction cups are held in the operative position.






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